Caldera’s Guardian Node system introduces the first production-ready system where third parties are able to verify rollup blocks in exchange for rewards. This system introduces a novel “light verifier” for Arbitrum rollups which allows Guardian Node operators to verify Nitro batches on everyday hardware without needing to run a full Arbitrum node. By focusing on reducing barriers to verify the network and distributing incentives, Caldera’s Guardian Node system improves the resilience and security of Arbitrum rollups.

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The Benefits

  1. Revenue Source: A significant go-to-market benefit is that a project can use Guardian Nodes as a source of revenue. HYCHAIN, which launched its Guardian Node system with Caldera’s tooling, sold ~16k node keys within 2 weeks, raising ~2000 ETH. The sale period will continue for a duration of 3 years which will provide a steady revenue stream.
  2. Decentralization: EVM rollups have all but solved the scalability problem, with L2s and L3s on Ethereum enabling virtually infinite scale. But previously, there was still no incentive for honest network participants to monitor these rollups. Guardian Nodes allow teams to decentralize their rollups by enabling users to verify blocks and secure the network in exchange for rewards.
  3. Token Demand: By enabling more parties to watch over a rollup and identify malicious behavior, the network’s security grows more robust— a crucial step to establishing trust in the chain’s correctness. This in turn generates more demand for a rollup’s native token, which is required for users to participate in validation and helps provide practical cryptoeconomic security for the network.
Decentralized SequencingReliability